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Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria

General Information

Description

Prepare and cook large quantities of food for institutions, such as schools, hospitals, or cafeterias.

Workplace at a Glance

What you can expect to experience while on the job

  • Responsibility
  • Exposure to job hazards
  • Physical activity
  • Decision making
  • Repetitiveness
  • Level of competition
  • Time pressure

Industry areas

  • Hospitality & Tourism

Job Outlook

Overall employment of cooks is projected to grow 16 percent from 2021 to 2031, much faster than the average for all occupations. About 480,600 openings for cooks are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

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Job Outlook

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Overall employment of cooks is projected to grow 16 percent from 2021 to 2031, much faster than the average for all occupations. About 480,600 openings for cooks are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

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Related Military Careers

No Information for this section

Salary

Average Salary

Salary

$29,910

State-by-state Salary

Gray states indicate no data available

$40,120
$19,810
No Information for this section

Education

Most Common Education Levels

People in this career achieve this level of education.

  • High school 71%
  • Post-secondary certificate 14%
  • Bachelor's degree 6%
  • Some college 5%
  • Less than high school 1%
  • Master's degree 0%
  • Doctoral degree 0%
  • Associate's degree 0%
  • Post baccalaureate 0%
  • Post-doctoral training 0%
  • Post-master's certificate 0%
  • First professional degree 0%

Related College Majors

Select major to see colleges that offer it

Knowledge

  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Food Production
  • Administration and Management
  • Education and Training
  • Mathematics

Skills at a Glance

Skills helpful in this career

  • Verbal skills
  • Critical thinking & problem solving
  • Equipment operation & maintenance
  • Math & science skills
  • Technology design & control
  • Leadership
No Information for this section

* Military pay may be higher based on specialty pays or bonuses. Learn more about Military benefits.

Data supplied by Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Center of Education Statistics, Defense Manpower Data Center (View our update schedule). Contact any business, college or military service branch to answer additional questions.